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Bruce Banner (Earth-616)
]] A S.H.I.E.L.D. commissioned space shuttle was sent to retrieve the Hulk, or so he believed. Seizing the opportunity to be rid of the Hulk, a group of superheroes known as the Illuminati decided to jettison the shuttle into space, to a planet with no intelligent lifeforms. Unfortunately, there was a navigation error, and the Hulk landed on the planet Sakaar, a world filled with barbarian tribes, gladiator battles and ruled by a corrupt empire. The planet was situated near a portal, which gave it access to several different cultures and technologies. The Hulk met and fell in love with a queen named Caiera Oldstrong. Caiera became pregnant with the Hulk's child, but died when the shuttle that brought the Hulk to Sakaar suddenly exploded, killing millions of people. Driven to new heights of rage and fury, the Hulk swore revenge against the Illuminati, whom he held responsible for the death of Caiera Oldstrong. He even lashed out against his allies the Warbound, but they managed to calm him down and swore to aid him in his quest for vengeance. The Hulk rode atop the prow of an alien warship as it set course for Earth. This marked the beginning of a series of events that would become colloquially known as "World War Hulk". World War Hulk Prologue: World Breaker World War Hulk In his quest for revenge, the Hulk first stopped at the Blue Area of Earth's moon. Here, he encountered the Illuminati member, Black Bolt, and brutalized him into submission. He brought Black Bolt to Earth, and publicly announced that he would destroy all of New York City. SHIELD agents and several heroes mounted a massive evacuation operation, and Tony Stark faced the Hulk wearing a special suit of Hulkbuster armor. Their battle caused widespread damage and even destroyed Avengers Tower with the Hulk coming out as the only one standing. He then stood against Doc Samson, Spider-Man, Luke Cage, She-Hulk, Wonder Man, Ares, Ms. Marvel, and Spider-Woman. He defeated them (with the help of his Warbound) and then stood against the Fantastic Four, Storm, and Black Panther. The Hulk defeated each of them as well. World War Hulk #1 Incarnations The Hulk initially is characterized as a separate entity from Bruce Banner, a distillation of his human anger that gradually develops its own personality and memories separate from Banner's. Banner suffers from "multiple personality disorder", which stems from the abuse he suffered as a child. The Hulk has many incarnations, each representing a different aspect of Banner's psyche. * Bruce Banner - Bruce Banner is the emotionally repressed core personality. Dr. Banner is a genius in nuclear physics, possessing a mind so brilliant that it cannot be measured on any known intelligence test. Banner can transform into the different versions of the Hulks, whereas his alter egos seem to be able only to transform into Bruce Banner. * Savage Hulk - The Savage Hulk possesses the mental capacity and temperament of a young child and typically refers to himself in the third person. He often claims that he wants to be left alone. The Savage Hulk is usually depicted as green-skinned and heavily-muscled with a loping, ape-like gait. While in a functionally calm emotional state, or at least as calm as the Hulk can be, the Savage Hulk is capable of lifting about 90 tons. *'Gray Hulk/Joe Fixit' - The Gray Hulk (though possibly not the original) worked for a time as a Las Vegas enforcer called "Joe Fixit". The Gray Hulk has average intelligence, although he occasionally displays knowledge and intellectual ability normally associated with Banner. He is cunning, crafty, hedonistic, arrogant, and distant, with a hidden conscience. In most of Las Vegas appearances, he appears only at night. According to the Leader, the Gray Hulk persona is strongest during the night of the new moon and weakest during the full moon. This aversion to sun/moon light vanished when the Gray Hulk's night-induced transformation trigger was later removed. Although he is the smallest of the Hulks, the Gray Hulk towers over the average human. He prefers to dress in tailored suits. Joe Fixit's base strength level is also the lowest of the three primary Hulk incarnations. While in a functionally calm emotional state, Joe Fixit is able to lift about 75 tons. *'The Merged Hulk/The Professor' - The Merged Hulk is the merger of Banner and the Savage and Gray Hulks in Incredible Hulk #377 (written by Peter David). The Merged Hulk was later retconned into The Professor. The Professor, rather than being a merger of the three core personalities, was interpreted as a fourth, separate personality that represented Banner's ideal self. The primary difference between the two is that the Merged Hulk demonstrated aspects of the Banner, Grey Hulk and Savage Hulk personalities (also possessing Banner's intelligence, Joe Fixit's cunning, and the Savage Hulk's size and strength), while the Professor did not. The Merged Hulk was even prone to uttering "Hulk will smash!", which was the Savage Hulk's most common catch phrase. The Merged Hulk was an associate and leader of the team of superheroes called the Pantheon. Despite his exaggerated musculature, the Merged Hulk had a relatively normal looking face, resembling that of Banner. The Professor personality was defined during writer Paul Jenkins' run as a "revelation" that the Merged Hulk was not actually a merger of the three personalities but rather a separate personality altogether. Unlike the Merged Hulk, the Professor was physically distinguished by having a pony tail, which the Merged Hulk did not. Jenkins justified this by retconning into the Hulk's continuity a new character named Angela Lipscomb (modeled after Jenkins' own girlfriend) who knew more about Bruce Banner than even Doc Samson. Lipscomb confronted Samson with her observations of the Professor and Doc Samson validated them, despite events presented in previous issues to the contrary. The Professor is the largest of the three primary Hulk incarnations and he also possesses a higher base strength level. While in a calm emotional state, the Professor is capable of lifting about 100 tons. *'The Maestro' - The Maestro is a version of the Hulk from a future timeline when he has conquered mankind after it had already been brought to the brink of extinction through nuclear warfare. The Maestro's green skin is darker than that of the other green skinned incarnations, and his hair is gray and balding on top. Due to the increased radiation from nuclear fall-out, the Maestro is significantly stronger than the Merged Hulk (as demonstrated in the "Hulk: Future Imperfect" mini-series), and his strength still increases with rage, making him more powerful still. Creator Peter David has stated on his various message boards that the Maestro was intended to be simply an insane evil alternate version of his Merged Hulk and not a separate personality within Banner. The Maestro's base strength level is considerably greater than that of the other primary Hulk incarnations, including his younger self. While in a calm emotional state, he is capable of lifting far in excess of 100 tons. *'Mindless Hulk' - Nightmare, in an attempt to find new ways to hurt his enemy Doctor Strange by going through his friends, penetrated Bruce Banner's mind and discovered his influence had an unexpected side effect; a new personality began to develop out of Banner's worst visions of the Hulk. At this period in Banner's life, he had just gained control over the Hulk's body, but was constantly on alert and terrified this was just temporarily, and that the Hulk, which he saw as nothing but a savage and destructive beast, would break free once more when the world least expected it. Far from being identical with the original Hulk, this version was based on a nightmarish imagination made of all of Banner's worst fears and ideas of his former alter ego. Nightmare continued to manipulate and increase his influence, allowing this dark incarnation to gradually rise to the surface. It finally became its own personality after Banner made his "psychic suicide", allowing it to break free of Banner's domination. Eventually, with the assistance of three creatures created by his subconscious, (Glow, Goblin, and Guardian), this Hulk gained the ability to speak and behave much less savagely. Since then, this personality has not been seen again, and it has been suggested that it is no longer a part of Banner's personality. In "Web of Spider-Man #7", a part of the Hulk, with the assistance of Doctor Strange, entered the Dimension of Nightmare as a similar manifestation as Mindless Hulk, threatening to kill him. Nightmare was forced to seek out Spider-Man's help, as this Hulk was destroying the whole domain. Spider-Man eventually pushed the Hulk into another realm, but he pulled Nightmare in with him. Nightmare has since been seen still alive, but this Hulk seems to have disappeared. *'The Guilt Hulk' - Known as "The Beast", the Guilt Hulk is another of Bruce Banner's personas, though this one created by his regret. The Guilt Hulk originally manifested itself in Banner's mind as his father and tormented him by forcing him to relive memories of his traumatic childhood. Eventually, the Guilt Hulk was defeated by Banner himself. The Guilt Hulk later returned after Betty's death, albeit much more powerful because of Banner's emotionally fractured state. After brutally beating the Professor and Joe Fixit, the Guilt Hulk was eventually subdued again by the Savage Hulk. Due to its monstrous size, the Guilt Hulk was physically very powerful. It also possessed claws and spikes all over its body. The Guilt Hulk also showed the ability to breathe fire on one occasion. *'Devil Hulk' - The Devil Hulk is the malevolent personality of Bruce Banner, personifying all of Banner's resentment at the way he is treated by the world. He is also one of the Hulk's enemies, constantly threatening to escape confinement in Banner's mind and destroy the world that has tormented and abused them, simultaneously leaving nothing intact that Banner holds dear. He first appeared when Banner was dying of Lou Gehrig's Disease, and Banner used a machine to travel into his own mind and make a deal with the three dominant Hulks that they would gain control of his body once the disease became too much for him to bear. The Devil Hulk was revealed at this point, but escaped a short while afterwards when the machinations of General Ryker shattered the barriers keeping the Devil Hulk imprisoned. Fortunately, he was contained long enough for a cure for Banner's condition to be found, before finally being contained in Banner's subconscious by Banner, the Savage Hulk and Joe Fixit; the Professor Hulk remaining out in the real world to help scientists such as Doctor Samson and Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four find a cure for the disease. | Powers = *'Superhuman Strength': The Hulk possesses the capacity for near-limitless physical strength. The gamma radiation that mutated the Hulk's body fortified his cellular structure and added, from some as yet unknown source (possibly via extradimensional mass acquisition), over 800 pounds of bone marrow and tissue to his body. However, each of the "core" Hulk personalities possesses a base strength level. While in a functionally calm state, the Gray Hulk is capable of lifting about 75 tons, the Savage Hulk can lift about 90 tons, and the Merged Hulk can lift about 100 tons. However, while in an enraged state, adrenaline surges through the Hulk's body, increasing his strength considerably beyond his base limits. For example, during the Secret Wars mini-series, he was seen effectively holding up a 150 billion ton mountain, which was dropped on them by the Molecule Man until the heroes buried inside could find a way to blast their way out. The Hulk also seems to be stronger with the more radiation he absorbs, which is the main reason why Maestro from the future has become stronger than the present Hulk. Also, The Hulk was the only superhero able to fight one on one with the psychic "Godlike" being Onslaught and hold his own after Jean Grey used her telepathic powers to effectively shut down his mind, resulting in the Hulk's rage increasing to the point where he was in a mindless, berserker-like state. Hulk also once shattered an asteroid twice the size of earth with a single punch. The upper limit of his strength remains a mystery. *'Superhuman Stamina': The Hulk's body counteracts fatigue poisons that build up in his muscles during physical activity. In an enraged state, the Hulk is capable of exerting himself at peak capacity for several days before fatigue begins to affect him. However, much like his physical strength, the Hulk's stamina does increase as he becomes angrier. *'Superhuman Durability': In addition to great strength, the Hulk's body possesses a high degree of resistance to injury, pain, and disease. The Hulk's skin is capable of withstanding extreme heat without blistering, extreme cold without freezing, and great impacts. The Hulk has withstood the impact of a ground zero nuclear explosion and the full force of the the Human Torch's Nova Blast, which is said to have a maximum temperature of 1,000,000 degrees Farenheit, without sustaininginjury. The Hulks durability, like his strength, is fueled by rushes of adrenaline while angry. *'Regenerative Healing Factor': Despite his high resistance to physical injury, it is possible to cause the Hulk injury. The Hulk is capable of regenerated damaged or destroyed areas of his body with far greater speed and efficiency than an ordinary human. Wounds that would be deadly to most other heroes takes just a short time for the Hulk to recover. During a battle with Vector, he repelled all of the skin off of the Hulk leaving just exposed flesh and muscle. It took the Hulk minutes to regain the mass and be completely healed. During a battle with Speedfreak, he cut the Hulk's stomach open with adamantium blades. The Hulk had to hold his stomach to prevent his insides from spilling out. Within minutes the wound had healed, but unfortunately the skin had healed around part of the Hulk's fingers. He had to rip his fingers out of his stomach and allow it to heal again. It should be noted that during the transformation from Bruce Banner to one of the various incarnations of the Hulk and back, he gains and loses large amounts of mass. The source of this mass is unknown. The amount of mass transfered is dependent on the incarnation, such as the Grey Hulk has somewhat less mass than most of the other incarnation. *'Immunity to All Diseases': The Hulk is immune to all known Earth-based diseases, including AIDS. He can operate under intense conditions for extended periods of time due to his body not developing fatigue toxins quickly. *'Superhuman Leaping Ability': The Hulk is able to use his highly developed leg muscles to leap great distances. While calm, he is capable of leaping roughly 3 miles. However, as he becomes enraged, his strength increases considerably, which means he can jump much farther than usual. On more than one occasion, the Hulk has nearly jumped into orbit. The Hulk has also been known to cover a distance of 1,000 miles with a single leap. *'Enhanced Lung Capacity': The size and strength of the Banner's lungs, like the rest of his body, are increased when he transforms into the Hulk. On a single good inhalation of air, Hulk can last hours--perhaps even days--without needing to take another one. This makes it possible for him to spend an extended period of time in outer space, or under the ocean. The Hulk has also used his lung capacity as an offensive weapon in several instances by inhaling, and then blowing the air back out at high speeds. *'Adaptation to Hostile Environments': There have been several instances in the past where Hulk has not only spent extended periods of time underwater or in oxygen-less outer space without suffocating, but he has also moved his mouth and spoken in these environments. It appears that the Hulk's body is able to adapt itself to new inhospitable environments when necessary. Like his healing factor, it is believed that this ability is also fueled by his rage and the madder the Hulk is, the quicker the Hulk's body will adapt. *'Underwater Breathing': The Hulk has been seen on the ocean floor a number of times and is able to breathe due to his body developing a gland which creates an oxygenated perfluorocarbon emulsion which fills his lungs and equalizes the pressure. He is therefore able to breathe fluid and avoid decompression and nitrogen narcosis. Transformation: Previously, this mutation was not a stable one. The Hulk would periodically revert to the human form of Bruce Banner, losing the extra mass and energy to the same as yet unknown source from which he derived it. The process by which Banner usually transforms into the Hulk presumably has a chemical catalyst, adrenalin (a.k.a. epinephrine). As in normal human beings, Banner's adrenal medulla secretes large amounts of adrenalin in time of fear, rage or stress, which hormonally stimulates the heart rate, raises blood-sugar levels and inhibits sensations of fatigue. Whereas the secretion heightens normal physical abilities in normal human beings, in Banner's case it triggers the complex chemical-extra-physical process that transforms him into the Hulk. The total transformation takes anywhere from seconds to 5 minutes, depending on the initial adrenaline surge, which is determined by the original stimulus. Soon after the transformation, the amount of adrenalin in the Hulk will return to more normal, reduced levels. However, there were instances in which Banner became the Hulk without any discernible increase in heart rate or adrenal levels, suggesting that the true trigger mechanism into the Hulk is far more psychological than physical. Extrasensory Perception: *'Astral Form Perception': The Hulk has the unique ability of being able to see "astral forms"--or ghosts. This power has come in handy when working with his fellow Defender, Dr. Strange, who is able to leave his body in an usually invisible, ghost-like state known as an astral form. It was suggested in Incredible Hulk #-1 that because Banner subconsciously feared his father's ghost would come back to haunt him, Hulk developed this mechanism to allow him to look out for him. Recent events have shown that the power to see astral forms may now extend to Bruce Banner. However, it was suggested the clarity of the astral forms is diminished when compared to the Hulk's ability to do view them. The Hulk's ability to see astral forms may go beyond just seeing individual spirits. In Incredible Hulk v2 #147, Hulk experiences a whole town in the middle of the desert that fades away into nothing. While it is possible it was merely a mirage, the issue suggests it is possible Hulk was able to see a town that didn't exist in our plane of reality that no one else could see. *'Homing Ability': The Hulk also has a seemingly mystical homing ability that enables him to locate the area in New Mexico where he first became the Hulk. This extends even if he is in another dimension. In Incredible Hulk v2 #460, an image of the Maestro explained to Bruce that the reason he was able to do that was because the Maestro's spirit was there, calling to him. However, since the Maestro was resurrected the Hulk has continued to return to the gamma bomb site, suggesting that there is more to his ability than merely the Maestro's spirit.This homing ability has also been used to find people on a rare occasion. For example, in Incredible Hulk v2 #445 the Hulk was able to dig a tunnel underground exactly in the direction of Onslaught, to which the Vision noted that the Hulk's sense of direction "borders on the supernatural." While it is possible that Onslaught was mentally leading the Hulk to him, there were other instances of Hulk demonstrating this ability. In Incredible Hulk v2 #275, Hulk's instincts led him to Rick Jones and Betty and in Incredible Hulk v3 #25 the Hulk located the Abomination with no prior knowledge of his whereabouts. Gamma Radiation/Energy Manipulation and Emission: Not usually a power associated with the Hulk, but there is a sufficient amount of evidence that the Hulk possesses at least a limited ability to manipulate forms of energy, most particularly gamma radiation. In Incredible Hulk v2 #242, the Hulk grabbed an energy shield and twisted it as though it were solid. The Hulk was also able to redirect massive amounts of gamma radiation using his bare hands in Incredible Hulk v2 #270. The Hulk's body also acts as a "gamma battery" by constantly creating and radiating gamma energy. In Incredible Hulk v2 #463, Armageddon wanted to use the Hulk's own energy to power machines capable of bringing his son back to life. However, the Hulk outsmarted him by consciously force feeding his own energy into the machines at a rate too fast for them to handle and they promptly overloaded and exploded. The extent to which Hulk controls his own energy, and foreign sources of energy, is only determined by his anger. | Abilities = Dr. Bruce Banner is a genius in nuclear physics, possessing a mind so brilliant that it cannot be measured on any known intelligence test. When Banner is the Hulk, Banner's consciousness is buried within the Hulk's, and can influence the Hulk's behavior only to a very limited extent. | Strength = The Hulk is one of the physically strongest beings ever to walk the earth and possibly the universe. He possesses vast superhuman strength enabling him to lift (press) far in excess of 100 tons. In human form Bruce Banner possesses the normal human strength of a man of his age, height, and build who engages in no regular exercise. | Weaknesses = | Equipment = | Transportation = | Weapons = | OtherMedia = Hulk (Toy) Toy Biz Marvel Legends Series 1 While working at a nuclear research facility, scientist Bruce Banner was accidentally caught in a gamma bomb explosion. The blast transformed him into the monstrous, rampaging Hulk, a creature with childlike intelligence and superhuman strength, which he often directs against those that would threaten him or other innocent beings. Ever since, when enraged, Banner turns into the Hulk and stays that way until the raging giant calms down and reverts to his normal human form. Description from ML packaging Planet Hulk Hulk (Toy) Hasbro Marvel Legends Series 1 Blasted away from Earth by a conspiracy of Earth's heroes and S.H.I.E.L.D., the HULK falls through a wormhole and arrives on the planet Sakkaar - a savage world of barbarian tribes ruled by a corrupt Empire. He gladly enters the gladiatorial arenas of Sakkaar, accepting all the benefits that victory entails. Known as the "Green Scar," he gathers around himself a trusted cabal of warriors, each sworn to the other. Disgusted by the fear and hatred of those weaker than himself, Hulk is done with peace, done with justice, done with heroism. Now, he fights for glory, and for the lives of his warbound brothers in the arena. | Notes = *Banner currently is a citizen of the United States under a special pardon *Banner's identity is publicly known, however, the public does not know Joe Fixit was the Hulk. * Hulk was initially grey-colored but as the gamma radiation raged through his body, was eventually turned green. The Hulk has reverted back to his grey skin tone a couple of times. * Through the transformation from Banner to the Hulk, his jeans or pants are the only item of clothing to sustain the sheer forces in muscular explosion. | Trivia = * In Hulk: The Incredible Guide, Stan Lee said the Hulk was based on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as well as Frankenstein. * Lou Ferrigno starred in the television series of the same name as the titular character opposite Bill Bixby who portrayed the Bruce Banner persona. * In the television series, Banner's first name was changed to David on the concern that Bruce was considered too "effeminate". * Australian actor, Eric Bana, portrayed the Hulk in the 2003 film version directed by Ang Lee. * After helping to oust Morvanian dictator Draxon, the Hulk was presented with an amulet declaring him as the legal ruler of Morvania. The Hulk had little interest in such an appelation however, and left the country after crushing the amulet. Incredible Hulk (Volume 1) #134 | Links = *Fantastic Four #12 - First fight with the Thing *Tales of Suspense #49 - Cameo Appearance as Doctor Bruce Banner. Seen working in his lab in New Mexico. *Amazing Spider-Man #14 - First Encounter with Spider-Man in a cave somewhere in New Mexico. *World War Hulk: World Breaker #1 - Prologue to "World War Hulk" * Incredible Hulk cover art gallery * Marvel Directory - Hulk * Official webpage at marvel.com * Official Marvel UK Store * Marvel Picture Store * A fan site with extensive Hulk information * Radical Entertainment's Hulk Games website * One of Stan Lee's Best-Article on the Incredible Hulk's Popularity * Hulk's Blog * The Hulk Library * Gamma Base - An Online Hulk Resource * The 1982 Incredible Hulk Cartoon @ Toon Zone * DRG4's Incredible Hulk the Animated Series Page (1996) * Hulk Angry Incredible Hulk fan site with wallpaper fan art section and comic book covers starting at the 1962 number one issue. * Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards * HulkNews.com - Featuring the latest news, reviews and information on all things Hulk * Hulk: "Lonely Man" Fan comic with CG artwork. * The Incredible Hulk Message Board * Hulk: The Incredible Guide *Toybiz archive *http://http://www.marvellegends.net/ |}} Category:Toys Category:Good Characters Category:Gamma Ray Exposure Category:Silver Age Category:Pantheon members Category:Titans Three members Category:Secret Defenders members Category:Horsemen of Apocalypse Category:Warbound members